Achieva Shimian 27" Monitor Review - 1440p IPS Display at Under $350!

An International Affair

While I, after much deliberation, ordered the Achieva Shimian QH270-Lite monitor, it is by no means the most popular of these Korean displays.

Here's some common information about all of these displays

All of these seem to be using the same LG LM270WQ1 27" panel

Base models will only feature a single Dual-Link DVI input, and power. Higher end models are available with things such as DisplayPort or HDMI, but they may introduce more input lag

Only models with multiple display inputs will feature an On-Screen Display for adjusting things like Contrast and Color.

My display successfully displayed resolutions under 2560x1440 from my MacBook and a Windows 7 Machine, although the image was stretched to fill the entire display. However your mileage may vary, especially with things like HDMI to DVI adapters and noncomputer devices.

These monitors use an external power brick with a Korean plug. Some eBay sellers include power adapters to cope with this, but you can just replace the wall cable with a standard American cable (such as the ones found on power supplies and other monitors.)

While all of these variants have these features in common, there are differences between each brand:

Far and away, the most popular brand for these monitors is the Yamakasi Catleap Q270.

The main reason for the initial excitement about this monitor is because of an ability to "overclock" some models to accept an input above 60 Hz, however we'll get to that later.

Other than overclocking, the differences I have found between monitors from different manufacturers in this segment has been the housing. The Catleap comes with a swivel and tilt monitor stand, however the popular opinion on forums seems to be that the stand is wobbly at times and leaves a lot to be desired. The stand on the Catleap can be removed to reveal a VESA mount, however you actually have to take off the back panel of the monitor to accomplish this.

There are 5 different versions of this monitor currently being sold. Buyers have the choice of models with or without speakers, and with or without tempered glass covering the face of the monitor. There is also a higher end model, which starts at about $400, with DVI, HDMI, and VGA inputs (also includes speakers, but not glass.)

The Crossover 27Q LED is what most people would probably consider to be the third most popular of these Korean displays.

The Crossover is most similar to the Shimian, but it is said that the build quality of the monitor itself and the stand are significantly better than it's siblings. However you pay for this build quality increase, as the Crossover is generally found to be about $50 more expensive than the Shimian.

There is also another really interesting product available from Crossover, the 27Q-P LED. The main difference with this monitor is that it has a stand which allows the display to be rotated into portrait mode. This seems to be the only model of these 1440p monitors that does this, and can be found for a $20 premium over the base Crossover 27Q.

If you are weary of things like eBay and international shipping, there are a couple of alternatives that we have found so far that are sold directly in the US:

Earlier this year, HP released a new SIPS monitor lineup, including what was the first "value" 27" high resolution display we had seen.

The ZR2740W seems to use the same LG panel as the Korean monitors, but includes a DisplayPort input along with the Dual-Link DVI connection. As this monitor costs more, with a street price of around $650, you can expect things like better build quality over the Korean monitors. Other perks of the HP include a built-in 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub, a 3 year limited warranty, and a standard US power connection.

As is consistent with the other displays we have mentioned so far, the HP also does not include a OSD for things like tuning color settings directly from the monitor itself.

For those of you who are still interested in the price of the Korean displays, but don't want to try to import one from eBay, there is the Auria EQ276W.

A commenter in a previous news post linked us to this item description at Micro Center, depicting a 27" 1440p monitor being sold in the states for $400. Googling this display brings up a few forum posts with people having successfully purchased this monitor, however I have been watching the page for several weeks and have not seen it in stock.

This display seems to be the closest to the Crossover out of the options I have seen, and is said to feature VGA, DVI, and HDMI inputs.

It is possible that Micro Center imported a small batch of these monitors as a test, and are waiting for feedback about carrying it as a regular item. Regardless, if these monitors DO come back into stock, they will be a in-store item only, so those without a local Micro Center need not apply.

I had mine die within three weeks of use. For those who care, I had it locked at 60Hz. The company that sells them through ebay refused to respond to my messages. Ebay had apparently been having this issue with the seller three times previously during the week and decided to refund my money in full.

read the fine print of these some of these perfect pixel versions still have a reasonable amount of dead pixels that they consider ok and will not accept a return if you don't have more than so many dead pixels.

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have one of these, bought through the http://120hz.net group buy (for guaranteed overclocking). There is also a great thread about these at HardOCP (Hardforum). These are great monitors, mine was $50 more but hits 120Hz without issue. The colors are great, backlight bleed is not bad, and unnoticeable in games or any movie not set in the Nostromo… Overall, it’s a great monitor but make sure you read up on who to buy from.

I am not affiliated with anyone from 120hz, they are just a great place to see the different models and who is safe to buy from… ;)

I have had the catleap for 3 weeks now and have been very impressed. Paid $286 and got free international shipping. This monitor is really unbelievable for the price and my only gripe is the response time. The good thing is that its usable for fps, just wouldn't recommend it for the hard core competitive people.

As of now I would recommend this monitor to everyone who can afford to take a chance on this things survivability. If you are the type who needs a warranty just stay away. For everyone else, this is excellent value.

I'd be all for getting one or more, but my computer wouldn't handle it and even if it could, I have no desk space :(

The nice thing is that you could spend the same amount of money on multiple monitors here for the same price as one from our leading dealers (even the HP deal). That's always a nice thing if you get one perfect (and even better with multiple in great to perfect condition).

I just wish I had money.

*EDIT*
Awww man. Now I just want to buy this solely for Total Annihilation! You guys are killing me!

I have been testing the $400 AUD multi input model all day.
No faulty pixels, excellent colours, which make my 120hz Alienware AW2310 look like it was done in crayons.

The input lag is horrendous....

I've been running some clocks on the AW2310 / a Dell 2407WFP and the Catleap and unfortunately it's around 90ms behind the Alienware, despite having scalers turned off - the multi-input card screws everything. Totally unusable for competetive games.

I ordered a Yamakasi Catleap for $350 shipped. I have had it for probably 4 or 5 months now. It came with no dead pixels, no stuck pixels, and is a beautiful display.

I had a Dell 3007WFP-HC but it got so hot that I have actually made this my new main monitor. At some point I would like to do some sort of dual display incorporating the Dell, who knows.

In any case, LOVE my monitor, the price can NOT be beat in the US. If you are interested in this monitor but worried about buying from abroad, don't worry. The good sellers seem to be very good about defective units and the various Korean companies DO offer a warranty, you will have to ship it back to Korea to get it honored but there is a warranty.

So don't wait anymore! These are awesome monitors and you haven't lived until you've played your favorite games at 2560x1440 on a 27" S-IPS panel monitor.

This is in regards to the Yamacasi Catleap Q270 2B.
I got a reply back from TA planet saying that the Yamakasi 120Hz are out of stock, however for the ones that can wait he said "Another brand, Shimian 120Hz overclock version will be released after one month."
I will look forward to talk to him again next month, hopefuly they are display port only.
By that time they will have AsRock X79 Extreme 11 motheroard. Maybe 7990 will release & will support 120hz & should give me plenty of time to research AMD for 120Hz or cheaper 2x690 & the next quadro 5000 desktop kepler & tesla. All of them freaking waterkooled of course. And be ready for world domination or learn about lots of game/cg movie making so I can justify buying all of that crap then.

I bought the Auria EQ276W from Microcenter yesterday. It was $399.99 USD and came to ~$414 after NJ tax. It’s a stunning multi-input (HDMI with HDCP, DVI dual Port, DisplayPort, VGA and mini audi jack) 2560x1440 display and looked great with out of the box settings. It had no dead pixels / stuck pixels or light bleed. Gloss screen but hardly noticeable IMO.

The stock picture above of the Auria EQ276W doesn’t do the outer esthetics justice as it as it really looks nothing like the picture.

I haven’t tested lag but I also don’t intend to use it for much if any gaming.

It comes with a 1yr warranty and I still have the option of returning it to Microcenter is I so whish it but I would probably be more apt to buy another one.

Presumably Microcenter will ship the Auria EQ276W so it doesn’t necessarily matter if you don’t have a store location near you.

Its price competitive with the other Korean models (specifically the multi-input models) without the risk.

I was about to buy a crossover to place beside my 27" Apple Cinema Display until I heard that these monitors have calibration issues. Is that something to worry about? Can someone tell me how to get this new monitor to match the color to my Apple?

Yes, there are calibration issues. With the newest Achieva Shimians. For example, you CANNOT have the backlight dimmed. By changing brightness the backlight IS NOT CHANGED and contrast is killed. Which is pretty bad if you use your monitor in a dark room. Expect, eye strains in this scenario.